Hardworking youth

The Reinhart family had a vast training ground. It was large. They used it to train the knights of the family, and Joshua was there to improve his body form.

He was particularly athletic but the entrance test would be difficult, so Joshua wanted to make sure he was well prepared for it.

A knight wearing silver plate armor yelled in the middle of the training grounds. He took care of the family's guard. His name was Ken, and he was a retired soldier from the country's army.

"Joshua, why are you here?" Ken asked as soon as he saw Joshua. He waved his hand, telling the guards to keep up with the work, and went towards Joshua.

"Hello, Ken. I was thinking of getting some proper training before the sect entrance test. Can you help me?" Joshua replied.

"Oh, right. I heard you were participating in that test but I thought it was mere gossip. Are you going to?" Ken asked. He believed in Joshua, but he also knew that the cultivation path was arduous, and only a few people succeeded.

"I'm. I'll become the first cultivator in our family in centuries. You'll see!" Joshua closed his fist. Ken saw how determined the boy was, so he smiled. The Reinhart family took great care of him, and he was proud to be the master of the family's guard. So seeing Joshua eager to become stronger, made his heart warmer.

"Hundir is proud of you, boy." Ken thought but soon woke up from his daydream.

Joshua had gone there to train, so Ken put him in the same training as the other guards. They did sessions of body training, sparring, sword classes, bow classes, basically all weapons. Joshua didn't know a lot about sword fighting, so there was a lot he could learn from Ken, and he did learn.

He would go there every day to train with Ken. His body became tougher and more flexible after every training session, and he was proud to say that he knew the basics of swordsmanship.

Hundir watched his son train every day, and he was truly happy. He was happy for seeing his son grow up, and work hard towards the things he wished to accomplish. Hundir knew that he would succeed in the sect entrance test.

The day of the test had finally arrived. Joshua woke up earlier than usual, and put on his best clothes, walking towards the dining room. His breakfast consisted of the things he liked the most, and everyone in the family made sure to fulfill his wishes.

"Son, there's also a surprise. Your mother is here," Hundir said to Joshua who was eating like a madman.

"What? Really?" He was surprised to see the woman he care for the most, his mother. She had gone on a business trip, and the new Joshua hadn't seen her yet. He thought that he would feel somewhat strange towards his mother, but it happened the complete opposite. Joshua rushed towards her, hugging her with all of his strength.

"My dear son, I'm back," said Jasmin as she hugged her loved son. She discovered that her son was participating in a sect test not long before breakfast, and she was both happy and sad, not to say surprised. She was happy that her son was aiming for something great, greater than any of their mortal lives. But she was scared because the world of cultivation was dangerous, and she didn't want to see her son getting hurt.

"Good luck today, Joshua," she kissed him on the forehead, and then sat beside him for breakfast. They talked about everything, but Joshua didn't have that much time before the test, so they decided to catch up later.

The test would occur inside the sect. Joshua met up with the other participants in that tower where he registered for it. An immortal would take them to the sect. Only three people were participating in it. Joshua, a woman, and a man. It wasn't strange though. The other two sects had more candidates, but even those hadn't got a large amount of them. People knew that the cultivation world was dangerous, and not everyone wanted to try that. Coupled with the fact that these sects only accepted younger people. These were the reasons for such a small number of students.

The three of them were inside a room, where a man entered it. He was wearing a simple garb and exhaled a strange aura. They felt uneasy looking at him, and the air seemed harder to breathe.

That man analyzed the trio and nodded with his head as saying not bad.

"Hello. I'm responsible for leading you guys to our sect. I'll not tell you my name, as you'll only discover it after passing our test. Now, follow me." The man waved his hand and a huge sword appeared out of nowhere. It was not an ordinary sword but a flying one. He jumped in it and then waved his hands. A wind surged and the trio was alongside him in the sword in an instant. They didn't fully comprehend what had happened, and everything seemed mysterious and mystical.

"That's cool. I only read about these things but seeing in person is much more awesome," Joshua thought as they flew across the sky.

The view from above was beautiful. Looking at the buildings that were now only small dots, made them think about how little they were in the great scheme of things.

A fire burned within the trio. They wanted to become strong as that man. They wanted to fly across the sky, to explore the vast world, to live forever, to find a true love who would stay beside them for eternity. Staying in a small town like Twin Rivers wasn't what they wanted for their lives. They were eager for adventures.

Joshua felt the same way, and there was also the other problem he knew about, that could potentially harm the entire world.

"Let's pass this stupid test and start my cultivation journey," Joshua was eager to see the Green Cauldron Sect in person.